I find it incredibly sexy when I come across a woman who admits she wears men’s cologne. It’s the confidence that comes along with making that choice that does it for me. The industry does a good job segregating fragrances and having the courage to break the rules takes knowing yourself and what works on you. Continue reading
Posted in News
Tagged A Different Company, Acqua Di Parma, Annick Goutal, Banana Republic, Cannabis Santal Eau, Christian Dior, Colonia, Comme de Garcon, Eau d'Hadrien, Eau Sauvage, Fresh, Gendarme, Good men's scents, Guerlain, Guerlain Vetiver, Hermes, Hermes Eau d'Orange Verte, Infusion d'Homme, Issey Miyake, L'Eau d'Issey Pour Homme, Men's Colgone, men's cologne, Men's Fragrances, Men's Scents, Prada, Silver Mountain Water
A while back, Nautica sent me a bottle of Nautica Pure, as it was one of its fall releases. When I finally got around to testing it, I thought it was ok. I wasn’t blown away but it contained some subtle nuances I liked. That same evening, to my surprise, my wife said, “you smell good. Very manly.” She doesn’t usually comment on the scents I’m wearing and that’s ok. But I had to take this opportunity to jump all over that adjective, manly. She said I smelled like I work with my hands, but in a good way. By this time, the scent was probably approaching its middle to bottom notes, which are warmer than its top notes. Continue reading
Posted in Fragrance Review
Tagged Fall scents, Macy's, Men's Colgone, Men's Fragrances, Men's grooming, Men's Scents, Nautica, Spike Lee
I was recently asked by Diane Da Costa to put together of list of must have items for a Christmas gifting guide for Uptown Magazine’s website. Thank you Diane. That was sweet of you. Check it out if you’re still trying to figure out what to get in the remaining days before Christmas.
When I was a teen, I owned a Brooklyn Dodgers baseball cap and it was one of my favorite possessions. It was royal blue with a white B emblazoned on the front. Barney Bishop wearing a B on his cap. Need I say more? What I remember most, however, was the quest to have the perfect bend in the brim. You see, back then a well bent brim signaled the cap was lived in it. Its weathered appeal was what we sought. I spent hours bending it just to get it perfect. Continue reading
Posted in Fragrance Review
Tagged Cologne, Frapin, Men's Colgone, Men's Fragrances, Men's Scents, MIN New York, Passion Boisee, Spicy scents, Warm scents, Woody scents
“I’m painting a story with smells.”
I first became aware of Anne McClain because of her workshops, which take place the first Monday of every month at Le Labo. Subsequently after that, I would receive e-mails periodically about her brand MCMC Fragrances. One particular e-mail mentioned she was launching a new fragrance called Maui and that she would be at the Brooklyn Flea. Maui was the place I got married, so it holds special meaning to me. I’ve heard a lot about the Brooklyn Flea but never been. These two facts posed an opportunity to meet Ann and I’m glad I seized the moment. On this hot summer day, after looking around for her booth, I finally stumbled upon it and it was an oasis in the middle of stuff. There she was, a Brooklynite that produced and sold her products in Brooklyn. I was brimming with pride when I met her. As a born and raised Brooklynite myself, stories like hers makes you puff out your chest just a tad bit more. As we began talking, she told me a story about being in fragrance school in Grasse and how her classmates looked at her oddly when she mentioned she wanted to take what she learned back to Brooklyn and start a business. It recalled a line from the rap song Crooklyn Dodgers that seems so apropos, “Straight from crooklyn better known as Brooklyn never taking shorts cause Brooklyn’s the borough.”
Where did you learn the art of creating fragrances?
I originally began by studying on my own. I took evening and weekend workshops on any topic related to perfumery (which in New York City actually tended to be aromatherapy classes), read lots of books, and even did a correspondence course with natural perfumer Mandy Aftel. At a certain point, I felt that I had exhausted all the learning I could do in America and I applied to the Grasse Institute of Perfumery in southern France.
I spent one year in Grasse in an intensive training program with just twelve students. It was very hands on and classes ranged from raw materials to chemistry to genealogy and creation. We also visited farms and production facilities. In the small village of Grasse, there were really no distractions for me (I didn’t have a phone, TV, or even internet in my apartment!) so I was really able to focus on my studies, and concepting for my line, MCMC Fragrances.
Share the story about people frowning in Grasse when you mentioned wanting to create your own line in Brooklyn.
The one thing that was difficult about studying in rural, southern France (as opposed to New York City) is that no one could really relate to me wanting to start my own line. Independent perfumery is not very common (although I see more and more niche lines all the time) and it’s still a male-dominated and family-owned trade. For a newbie like me to come from Brooklyn and say I wanted to start my own line right away was very shocking to my classmates and teachers. But like so many other creative people, I just wanted to do my thing and had no fear!
What is the concept behind MCMC Fragrances?
Before studying perfumery, I was a photographer. I love to travel and the feeling of those fleeting, ethereal moments that we are so lucky to have in life. My photographs were an attempt to flatten these experiences and preserve them. However, after my very first perfume class, I realized that this was the medium for me to work in.
So all of the fragrances from MCMC Fragrances are based on an actual experience from my life. Maine is based on a day in Maine falling in love; Noble is about four months I spent living in Nepal with a Tibetan family and the jasmine and incense that permeated the house, and Hunter is about an old friend who lived in the woods and harvested maple syrup. I’m painting a story with smells.
What sparked your desire to create your own collection?
I have so many stories I want to tell in scent, and so much inspiration, that I knew I had to create my own collection. Working for a corporate perfume house as a perfumer, you are receiving briefs from clients to create their dreams, and their visions. I just couldn’t wait to put my own creations out into the world.
What’s your earliest recollection of fragrance?
Well, I know that the first perfume I ever wanted was Angel by Thierry Mugler. My sister gave it to me when I was 15 for Christmas. This baffles me now because it’s so strong and I’m surprised my 15-year old self was attracted to that, but I’ve always loved woody, oriental scents.
As for my first meaningful recollection of fragrance, while I was in Nepal (I was 21), I bought a jasmine candle at a place called Mike’s Breakfast. At the time I didn’t know that the scent was jasmine – I didn’t know the name of any scents then, really – but I was so in love with this candle. To the point where even after it had burned, I brought home the little wax stump and kept it in my closet for months. To this day, jasmine absolute is one of my favorite ingredients.
How would you finish this statement. “My most memorable fragrant moment would be…?
…smelling a beach plum rose on the coast of Maine while falling in love, mingling with the scents of cool air and dried seaweed.
Thanks Anne.
Introduced through a mutual friend because of our shared passion for fragrances, I met Eileen Harcourt two years ago. Our first meeting lasted for almost five hours. We sat in her living room and talked our heads off. I sampled many of her creations and she explained her holistic approach to perfume making. The more she talked, the more I became intrigued. There I was, a newbie to blogging about fragrances and I was welcomed into the home of an actual perfumer. (That’s unheard of right? Perfumers can be so standoffish, especially when you’re not from one of the majors.) She was the first one I ever met and she was totally open to talking to me. I was humbled and in awe at the same time. She had me hooked from Davana Bud, or so I thought. You see I knew Eileen without ever meeting her. I met her, or rather one of her creations, in 2002 when I stumbled into the hip little shop Base on Lincoln Road in Miami. That was my first time down there with my girlfriend, now wife, and I was on sensory overload. But all of that was settled when I picked up a bottle of Sand. This roll on fragrance took me to sandy beaches and blue skies and being the impulse buyer that I am, I snagged it immediately. Since then my taste has dramatically changed but for some reason I held onto Sand. When I began telling Eileen about how much I love this scent, a smiled erupted across her face and she simply said, “I created that.”
Eileen and I have met many more times since then and she is constantly encouraging me to continue following my fragrant passion. When she told me she would be setting up shop at the Hester Street Fair, I knew I had to drop by and hang out with her for a while. As is usually the case when we get together, what was supposed to be a quick pass through turned into a two and a half hour visit. I had so much fun watching the reaction of the people coming into her booth and smelling her creations. By the time I reached there, she was already sold out of a few scents. But after being there for a bit, Eileen and I began talking about fragrances and here is a piece of the conversation.
Thanks Eileen for entertaining my passion and being my first video interview.
Posted in Interview
Tagged Base, Davana Bud, E Harcourts, Eileen Harcourt, Fragrances, Hester Street Fair, Men's Colgone, Men's Fragrances, Men's Scents, Perfume, Sand
If you’ve been following me on twitter (@fragrantmoments) you know I’ve been raving about Otto by Malin + Goetz. That’s because when I purchase a fragrance, I desire something that smells great, has some lasting power, and is reasonably priced (but I will splurge in some cases). Otto has all three and then some.
I don’t buy fragrances looking for compliments. I seek to please myself first. Sometimes I’ll get the occasional, “that smells great.” But most times I don’t receive any and that’s Okay. With Otto, however, I have experienced more interest than I can recall. I’ve heard everything from delicious to “Jesus that smells good.” I take it all in stride, smile and keep it moving.
I remember when I first sampled it at their shop on 7th avenue here in New York City, I applied a few drops and couldn’t stop smelling my hand as I spoke with the sales attendant. She was extremely helpful and we exchanged information about scent layering. But Otto’s “so fresh and so clean” appeal had me hypnotized and when I found out it was only $55, I knew I couldn’t pass it up. I left with a bottle. Heck, I’ve bought more expensive scents in the past and have regretted it. Not this time.
Otto has Top Notes Of Grapefruit And Lavender; middle notes Of Geranium, Cardamom, and Rose; and base notes of Oakmoss and Vetiver. Because it’s an oil and much more concentrated than your typical cologne, you only need a few drops and it lasts all day. With the heat we’ve been experiencing and we still have quite a bit of summer, at this price, Otto is a steal…and you just might get noticed.
Posted in Fragrance Review
Tagged Malin+Goetz, Men's Colgone, Men's Fragrances, Men's Scents, Otto, summer scents
The Italian luggage company Mandarina Duck, whose spicy citrus men’s fragrance Pure Black was released last year, may not be familiar to American audiences—even less so for men. The company started in 1977 when two young Italians decided to make traditional leather luggage more colorful. The firm has had a few stops and starts in the American market, but has a much stronger presence in Europe and Asia, with about 80 flagship stores worldwide.
That lack of name recognition probably made Mandarina Duck’s previous men’s fragrance, called simply Man, a tough sell when it launched in 2006. Between that and the bright orange packaging, a candid Mandarina Duck representative admitted to me, Man didn’t quite catch on. It was a light and summery scent with fruity-sweet orange, grapefruit and peach notes that, like its colorful bottle, may have seemed less than masculine to the American nose. Despite that, Man is still in stores.
Pure Black, the company’s second scent, didn’t exactly abandon the original concept—the fragrance is still orange-based (and created by the same perfumer, Nathalie Lorson), and the bottle is shaped the same—but the masculinity factor is amped up a bit. “We realized we had focused too much on the Mandarina Duck brand with Man,” a company rep told fashion and fragrance editors at a publicity event at Barney’s, pointing to the clear and orange bottle. “Pure Black focuses on what men want.”
That’s true, but there’s a disconnect between the Pure Black name and the citrusy fragrance. It starts out with bergamot and tangerine, spiced with pepper, and warms to orange blossom and tonka bean, finally drying down with cedar, sandalwood and vanilla. When I sprayed it on a card, I wasn’t impressed; on the skin it’s much better. Used sparingly, it’s a nice warm-weather scent: orange notes provide some of the freshness of lemon but linger longer. Vanilla softens the citrus edge. I prefer the fresh top notes to the basenotes, which smell a little less adventurous, a little more ordinary to me.
For a great orange-based fragrance, one that keeps up the momentum after the top notes, I prefer Frederic Malle’s Bigarade concentrée. It’s warmed with a similar cedar note, but softened by subtle rose, and the orange lasts longer. It too needs to be worn sparingly.
With Pure Black, I’m reminded of how much the success of men’s fragrances are subject to sensitive marketing: a sleek black bottle will always reassure a guy, and woody-spicy basenotes will seldom offend. But after that, it’s up to the brand, its distribution, and, probably, magazine ads. For those of us who review and collect fragrances, such crowd pleasers are a dime a dozen.
Just the same, Pure Black (which typically retails for about $70) does what it does well, and I’d recommend it to any guy who needs to move beyond those usual crowd pleasers without venturing too far into the more expensive and exotic fragrances that aren’t marketed to either men or women. —Harry Sheff
I had the pleasure of working on the Men’s Health Grooming Awards again this year. I’m humbled by the opportunity and I’m thankful to Brian Boye for making it possible.
Here’s my feeling on a few of the featured scents:
Voyage d’Hermes – Sophisticated…powdery, peppery, sweet, musky. It’s even better on the skin. Add it to your summer collection.
Azzaro Chrome Sport – I don’t usually like “sport” scents but this is not your typical sporty scent. For me, it’s a great no-brainer choice for running around on the weekend. A definite head turner at the farmer’s market.
Tom Ford Grey Vetiver - Fresh and thorny…the pepper notes give this clean scent depth.
Pickup a copy of the June issue of Men’s Health…it’s on newsstands now.
Posted in Press
Tagged Azzaro Chrome Sport, Brian Boye, Grooming Awards, Hermes, Men's Colgone, Men's Fragrances, Men's Health, Men's Scents, Tom Ford, Voyage d'Hermes
It’s that time of the year folks-summer scents are dropping. Bond No 9 is launching its latest in the Andy Warhol series, Montauk. Named after the little town on the end of Long Island and the place Warhol loved to retreat to when escaping downtown New York, it will make its debut Memorial Day.
This by far is my favorite in the Warhol series. From the sunset bottle design, which is from a series of screen prints he created in 1972, to the bright, slightly sweet and salty opening, this unisex scent is an ideal accessory for a summer’s night of fun. It’s not to heavy, citrusy or aquatic like other typical summer scents. There’s a nice balance and the dry down is where the sensuality begins.
Montauk by Bond No 9 – $220 for 100ml; $145 for 50ml
Posted in Fragrance Review
Tagged Andy Warhol, Bond No 9, Men's Colgone, Men's Fragrances, Men's Scents, New summer scents, summer scents
